I’ve spent the last ten years building technology.
People often assume that means I love technology. They imagine I’m fascinated by artificial intelligence, the latest gadgets or whatever new app has just been released. The truth is, I’m not really interested in technology. I’m interested in people. More specifically, I’m interested in how technology can make people feel. Because, technology, on its own, is just code. It’s simply a collection of decisions made by people. What gives it value is the emotion it creates on the other side of the screen.
- A daughter doesn’t lie awake at night thinking about cloud infrastructure or software architecture. She sleeps better because she knows Mum had a good day.
- A person living with disability doesn’t feel empowered because they have another app on their phone. They feel empowered because they have greater choice, more independence and more control over their day.
- A care worker doesn’t finish a shift excited that documentation was digitised. They feel relieved because they spent less time behind a screen and more time with the people they support.
The technology was never the outcome. The feeling was.
I think we sometimes ask the wrong question when we design products, services and even care experiences. Instead of asking, “What should this do?” perhaps we should first ask, “How should this make someone feel?” Should it make them feel connected? Confident? Included? Safe?
Empowered? Reassured? That one question changes everything. It shifts our thinking away from features and towards people. Away from outputs and towards outcomes. Away from technology for technology’s sake and towards technology with purpose.
The same principle extends well beyond software. Every interaction we design leaves someone feeling something. A resident moving into a new home. A family member making their first enquiry. A staff member finishing a difficult shift. None of them will remember every process, policy or feature. But they will remember how the experience made them feel.
Perhaps that’s the real measure of innovation. Not how advanced the technology is, but whether it leaves people feeling more connected, more informed, more confident or more human than they did before. That’s certainly what motivates me. After ten years of building technology, I’ve realised I was never really building software at all. I’ve simply been trying to build better human experiences.
Because in the end, technology doesn’t change lives. Feelings do.
Allison Nikula
Founder & CEO, CareApp